OpenAI phone will be unveiled sooner, analyst claims

Last week, we informed you about OpenAI’s plans to launch its own phone, relying on AI agents instead of classic applications as we know them today. The well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had estimated the start of mass production in 2028. However, according to a new post by the same analyst, we could finally see it significantly sooner, as early as the beginning of next year.

Production to start next year

In an updated report, Kuo states that OpenAI’s phone could enter mass production as early as the first half of 2027, roughly a year earlier than originally speculated. The reasons for the acceleration are said to be the growing market for AI phones and OpenAI’s planned IPO, which is expected to happen by the end of this year. The analyst estimates combined sales for 2027 and 2028 at 30 million units. This is a very optimistic forecast, especially for a completely new brand in the phone business, and Kuo himself conditions it on a smooth development process.

Custom-tailored internals for AI

Hardware-wise, the phone should be equipped with a custom-made version of the MediaTek Dimensity 9600 chipset, which is to be manufactured in the second half of this year using TSMC’s N2P 2nm process. According to Kuo, MediaTek will be the sole supplier, so the previously mentioned collaboration with Qualcomm is likely off. The image processor should be adapted for better real-world perception.

OpenAI phone will be unveiled sooner, analyst claims Adam Kurfürst News Adam Kurfürst News

For processing AI tasks, the chipset will utilize two NPU units. As for memory, it is expected to rely on LPDDR6 RAM in combination with storage built on the UFS 5.0 standard. In other words, these will be the most modern components available on the market at that time.

Will the device succeed?

Despite the accelerated schedule, the main question remains: will there truly be interest in a phone utilizing a set of AI agents? There have been several attempts to create specialized AI devices, most of which ended poorly – remember the complete flop that was the Humane AI Pin. Just like in its case, there will undoubtedly be many enthusiasts obsessed with the phenomenon of artificial intelligence who will purchase an OpenAI smartphone on launch day, but personally, I am skeptical whether there will be enough of them to even cover the development costs.

Would you consider an OpenAI phone if it actually came out next year?

Sources: Ming-Chi Kuo/X, GSMArena, 9to5Google